Formed hose and hose/tube assemblies have long been used to solve fluid handling system design challenges such as installation in confined areas or those necessitating a tight bend radius. While both approaches have specific benefits—ease of replacement for formed hose and smaller allowable minimum bend radius for tube assemblies—they also introduce some potentially costly drawbacks:
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Increased cost to inventory designed-to-spec replacement parts
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Potential for leakage in hose/tube assemblies due to multiple connections
When combined with the other environmental and usage factors that can adversely affect hose performance and life expectancy, it’s clear that better solutions are needed to improve hose performance while avoiding costly downtime and system repair.
Issues affecting hose performance
While hoses have a finite lifespan under normal conditions, it is helpful to understand that their service life can be adversely affected by a variety of factors.
These factors include:
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Elevated temperatures
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Extreme cold temperatures
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External abrasion
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Ozone
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Fluid incompatibility
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Fluid velocity
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Tube washout from abrasive media
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Static charge build-up from media/velocity
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Exceeding bend radius and kinking hose
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Twisting the hose when routed
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Connection issues – coupling insertion, crimp too loose, crimp too tight
“Fluids are the lifeblood of industrial and mobile equipment, and as conduits for these fluids, hose assemblies are critical to system performance.”
Jeff Grau, engineering manager, innovation, Parker’s Hose Products Division
The frequency of the occurrence of many of these issues has been increasing due to continuing end-product evolution that has generally reduced available space and increased the ambient temperature within that space.
Three key hose-related equipment requirements
Recognizing that the market needed a safer, more reliable and cost-efficient alternative to formed hose and hose/tube assemblies, Parker developed the E-Z Form hose series: a system-based solution to challenging application problems. This provides a single-source reliable solution that meets all requirements effectively and economically. These are the requirements we focused on:
Requirement #1: Withstand extreme bends and tight routing without kinking
Requirement #2: Reduce the potential for leaks in assemblies with multiple connections
Requirement #3: Eliminate the need for extensive and costly replacement inventory and related replacement time
To learn more about the issues affecting hose performance, benefits of a formed hose and key hose-related equipment requirements, download our whitepaper, Overcoming Three Common Design and Maintenance Challenges in Hose Applications.
This article was contributed by Jeff Grau, engineering manager, and Jeff Berger, product sales manager, Hose Products Division, Parker Hannifin Corporation.
Related articles:
How to Choose the Right Fluid Power Hose
Top 5 Reasons Customers Choose GlobalCore Hose
Top 8 Reasons Hydraulic Hoses Fail
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